There are Several Ways to Enhance Your Glutes

A s styles have changed and clothes have gotten tighter and more form-fitting over the years, particularly with the popularity of yoga pants and modern “miracle fabrics”, more people are paying attention to the shape of their rear ends. Everyone wants to have glutes that are as hard as rocks and command attention when they're walking down the street or working out in the gym. But not everyone can attain them naturally.

For some active people, the right exercises may be all you need to make your glutes look their best. For others, there just isn’t enough fat and muscle in your back-side to transform into your perfect version of a rear-end, no matter how much you exercise. We’ll offer solutions to help you achieve the perfect glutes, no matter what you're starting with. We'll talk about some of the most effective exercises you can do and also explore exercise alternatives, like fat transfers and buttock implants.

Know What You’re Working With

The term most often used for the part of the body we’re talking about by gym rats, trainers, and people who work out regularly is “glutes”. Your glutes are three separate muscles called, the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. There are also six smaller muscles that lie underneath the glutes at the top of the legs. They’re known as the lateral rotator group or the “deep six”.

Your glutes are just like any other muscle group in the lower body. They get stronger, denser and larger the more you use them and grow flabby and weak when not exercised regularly. They are one of the body's largest muscle groups, and they play an important role in how we move and stabilize our bodies while we're active. They help provide power to our legs when we walk throughout the day.

If you start a regular program of exercising your glutes, you’ll also need to stay well-fed during the exercises. As big as the glutes are, they consume a lot of calories when they're under exertion. When muscles don't receive the calories they're demanding; they can cramp up. This is a sign that they're not getting the magnesium, calcium, or potassium they need to operate at peak efficiency. Keeping your body well-fed before working out helps you get more out of an exercise program.

Three Exercises for Your Glutes

Three of the best exercises for your glutes are ones that exercise two or more of the glutes, as well as the quadriceps, hamstrings, abdominals, or lower back muscles.

Fire Hydrant

The fire hydrant is so named because it mimics the leg motion of a dog doing its business at a fire hydrant. It targets all three of your glute muscles, as well as the abdominals. The exercise starts on your hands and knees on a yoga mat. You can use resistance bands tied around your legs just above the knees or ankle weights if you want more of a workout. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart, and your knees should be touching.

With your back kept straight and looking at the floor throughout the exercise, lift one leg up and away from the body at a 45-degree angle. Maintaining the knee joint at 90 degrees, try to lift your leg up as high as your hips. Slowly return to the starting position and then switch to the other leg. You can repeat the movement between 12 to 20 times.

Single Leg Step-ups

Single leg step-ups work the gluteus maximus and medius, the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, abs and lower back. You’ll need to use a bench or a tall step to step onto and off of. And you can hold a dumbbell for added weight resistance.

Stand next to the bench with your back straight. Put your hands on your hips or hold the dumbbell at chest level. Raise one knee to a 90-degree level and place your foot on the bench while the other foot stays on the ground. Drive your body weight up and push off at the same time with the foot on the ground. When you've straightened the leg on the bench, hold it for a second before slowly letting yourself back down. Turn around and repeat it with the other leg for from 12 to 20 repetitions.

Side Squats

Side Squats target your gluteus maximus and medius, as well as the quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, abs, and lower back. The exercise is often done with a resistance band tied around the legs, slightly lower than the knees.

Stand with your feet together in a semi-squatted position. Take a step with one foot that separates your feet slightly more than shoulder-wide. Try to push back with your hips and keep your core tensed and your back straight. After maintaining this separated pose for a couple of seconds, drive through your heel to push yourself back to the original position. Change to the other leg and use it to step after 15 reps.